Weight Expectations: One Man's Recovery from Anorexia

by Dave Chawner

Part memoir, part self-help guide, this witty book will take you through the day-to-day struggles of living with an eating disorder. Stand-up comedian Dave Chawner tells the story of how he became anorexic, what his life with mental illness was like, and how he started his journey to recovery.Giving an anorexic perspective with a comic delivery, this book sets out practical tips, personal anecdotes and uplifting playlists to give hope to anyone in a similar situation, and provides insight into what life with mental illness is like.

Genres: Self Help

170 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 21, 2018

Reviews

[Matthew Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent account by Dave Chawner about his experience of Anorexia. He rightly acknowledges how men are often overlooked as being sufferers of eating disorders, and how it's common to never feel that you're ill enough to deserve treatment. What Dave doesn't do is preach, lecture or judge, but just go through his experiences of having an eating disorder and present some useful tips that helped him get through it.

It could be quite a grave topic but Dave talks in a friendly and funny style, his skills as a comedian shining through. There are images and easy to absorb graphs and I think rather than tell you what anorexia is, Dave sets out to tell what it was for him, to help other readers that may have eating disorders know they're not alone, no matter how bizarre they think their related habits and patterns may have become.

This was an ace read for me as being in recovery from anorexia myself, and at times felt I was reading a biography of my own life! Replace comedian with musician and you more or less have it! But I also think if you've known someone with an eating disorder this would be a superb read for you to shed some light on what they might be feeling and help you relate. Not only that, it's funny and well told and I look forward to seeking out other material by Dave Chawner in the future.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it I really did.

I was sent this from Netgalley

I had requested it, but forgot I had 😊

I love reading all things Mental Health, Addiction related aswell as all things Eating Disorder related.

I myself has struggled with them all throughout my 28years on this earth, as did my Mum who sadly is no longer here.

other members in my family have too.

I think it's so important for more Men to open up about their ED's in the hope of helping other Men.

you hear so much about Women having an ED but never Men.

It's ok to tell your stories...it inspires many others to get the help they need.

I can relate to so much in this book, on any different levels.

well done Dave on being so brave to finally put it all in writing.

even if you don't have an ED you self, then please, just try recommending it to someone who may have.

I've not read this as a way of progressing my own issues...I've read this to make more of an understanding of my Mum & Aunties ED (sadly both in heaven) and my own ED issues.

5* for this.

let's raise awareness

#MenHaveEDsToo

[Cerys Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare that a book gives such depth to powerful emotions, is bloody funny and gives and uplifting feel at the end.

Whilst this book does contain heartbreaking material, it's done with whimsy and flare that is easy to digest. Chawner speaks of someone with emotional maturity and a strong conviction to help others. I don't have an eating disorder myself, but as someone with mental health problems it touched me in ways that many self help books haven't.

Go read it!

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comedian Dave discusses his history and battle with anorexia and mental health with honesty and a little comedy too.



We learn how he slowly developed his eating disorder and contributing factors and events which happened around the same time for example, life changes such as moving away from home and into university and a break up with his long term girlfriend. He talks about society pressures and the fight mentally and physically and how you can get into a cycle of habits. Therapy is discussed and how it can take years to get to being better but you may still struggle and that's OK!



The book also features tips from Dave in how you can handle stages of recovery as well as many songs for you to listen to if you choose. It was refreshing to read a book from a male anorexia sufferer as it's less talked about compared to females like me who've suffered with anorexia.



I would recommend this book to all sufferers or those who've suffered previously as it makes you feel less alone in your struggle which won't be the same but to some extent a degree of understanding will be present.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

[Kirstin (chooselovebooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received and ARC of Weight Expectation in exchange for my honest review, so a big thank you to Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the early read.

Dave Chawner is a comedian and this is his mental health memoir revolving around his history with an eating disorder.
This book was everything I wanted it to be! It was raw and honest, and I, quite frankly, really appreciated the awareness brought to eating disorders existing for men too! We almost never see representation of male fictional characters with eating disorders, and so I think that this is an incredibly important read. It also showed how EDs aren’t glamorous or vane, they are often just coping mechanisms for when someone loses a sense of control in their life, (or other stressors).
I would highly suggest Weight Expectations to anyone who enjoys non-fictional mental health related books, however want to mention an obvious content warning for Anorexia.

[Pieta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so funny. It was well written and honest. In his introduction Dave Chawney says "we all have health, we all have mental health and some of us have mental illness." Weight Expectations explores the mental illness that is anorexia. He shows that it is not a disease of ego, insecurity or vanity but one that is triggered when life gets hard and when there is nothing in life that one seems to have control over. An anorexic can always control what they eat. It becomes a coping mechanism. I know someone who self harms and this helped me understand what she goes through and I hope that he writes similar books on depression or anxiety. He has written the book that he wishes he had when he didn't know anything about anorexia. It isn't a text book, it isn't academic, it is like a chat with a wise friend who has been there and is working their way through it and it is brilliant.

[Max Hanawalt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is okay. It does a fantastic job of spotlighting men with anorexia

[Book Him Danno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weight Expectation is more of a introduction to Anorexia, a man journal and struggle though the mental illness and addiction. The story is written in a way it feel as if they are endless journal entries that do not flow from though to thought but rather jumps from topic to a completely different topic.

Readers will not learn anything new if they have read other stories about food addiction and the mental illness. The story is funny at times but it doesn't make for the lack of cohesion. I don't think this book would have been publish if it had been a woman writing her struggle but because it is a man and very rear to find a man to confess to this addiction I feel that is the reason the story is being published.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.

[Jena Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You can drown just as easily in a puddle as a lake. You drown by staying there."

Dave tells us that he had a pleasant childhood, but as he went off to college and then launched himself into job and life in London, he began to struggle. Anorexia was his way of coping. Anorexia was a clear-cut way of measuring if I was succeeding. Avoiding food was one thing I could be on top of.

"Yes, it was a way to cope, until it wasn't. It was like my brain had too many tabs open." Dave organized his book according to the steps in his recovery process.

Dave uses humor to share his journey with us. It's ok to have a giggle. In fact, I'd prefer you did. Dave is British, so while some of his humor is charming to the American ear, much of gets in the way of relating to him. And I felt a bit uncomfortable by the amount of self-deprecating humor that seemed to get in the way of knowing the real Dave.

I also wonder why the book is subtitled One Man's Recovery from Anorexia because from what I understood from the book- one doesn't really recover. I liked how he included songs that were meaningful to him and that related to each chapter. He also included a summary of places to seek help. He may want to consider adding some American links. Overall, Dave wrote a solid book that sheds light on how a man deals with an eating disorder. Thank you, Dave. And thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off with an interesting premise-that you don't need to have a catastrophe to struggle with mental illness, but that was about the best part. There might be a good book about a man's battle with anorexia, but unfortunately this isn't that book. It just wasn't at all well written, and seemed to be a random stream of consciousness diary. I'm not sure the point of the playlists that accompanied each chapter, although I did like some that he chose. I unfortunately would not recommend this book.

[Moriah Conant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a unique perspective on eating disorders. It is not often that you hear from straight men on their struggles with an eating disorder. Chawner shares his story along with tips that he wished he knew at various points in his journey.

This book is a good read for someone who might be able to relate to Chawner's story. For those highly knowledgeable about eating disorders, it might feel simplistic.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the read.

[Cristie Underwood]

Comedian Dave Chawner wrote a raw account of what it has been like to be a man suffering from anorexia. I think that many of us forget that men also suffer from this disorder, as most information is geared towards women. I highly recommend this book.